Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Mary's and St John's

Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's Inspection report

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126444 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire Local Authority 293560 Inspection number 10 July 2007 Inspection date Lorna Brackstone Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 41 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Richard Bryson Chair Sarah Colman Headteacher 12 March 2002 Date of previous school inspection School Lane School address Hindon Salisbury SP3 6EA

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01747 820260 Telephone number 01747 820260 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 10 July 2007 Inspection date 293560 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. 10 July 2007

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a very small rural school. All pupils come from White British backgrounds. One third of the pupils have learning difficulties.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's, 10 July 2007

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Grade: 3

This is an improving school that provides a satisfactory quality of education. Following a recent review by the local authority, the management time allocated to the headteacher has been increased and this has enabled her to develop procedures for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the school. This is having a positive effect on the quality of her school leadership. Coupled with the sound role of key staff and governors, the overall leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. However, subject management is underdeveloped with insufficient contribution being made to the school's monitoring processes. The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. The teachers understand what interests these young children and the exciting curriculum ensures that they make satisfactory progress during their Reception year. In the rest of the school, standards vary from year to year but are broadly average in most year groups. Achievement in relation to prior

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Grade: 3

attainment is satisfactory. A rich and meaningful curriculum provides pupils with good learning opportunities and is supported well through the school's partnership with parents, volunteers and local schools. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The well-planned lessons ensure that all pupils are suitably involved in activities. As one parent explained, teachers successfully 'adjust the material to suit the various ages and levels of pupils'. However, teachers do not consistently explain to the pupils what they are learning. Parents confirm that 'the care and commitment of all staff to the pupils is obvious'. Pastoral support is sound but pupils are not given enough guidance on how they can improve their work and make the next step forward in their learning. A strong feature of the pupils' personal development is their good understanding of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Most pupils have good attitudes to school and behave well. However, a very

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Grade: 3

small minority of pupils make life difficult for their classmates and this affects the pupils' overall enjoyment of school life. Whilst pupils are fully involved in local community life, they are not given enough responsibility or sufficient opportunities within school to express their views and opinions. Although key skills are adequate, the pupils do not have enough opportunities to solve problems, use their initiative or apply their knowledge to everyday situations. The school has made effective improvements since the last inspection. Staff and governors have an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. Based on this secure knowledge, it has a satisfactory capacity to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Help pupils to learn more effectively by explaining clearly the objectives for each lesson and showing them how they can improve and what they need to do to reach the next step. ■ Ensure that pupils develop their problem-solving skills and initiative, take more responsibility and have a secure forum for raising concerns. ■ Develop the management roles of key staff so that they play a more prominent part in helping the headteacher monitor the performance of the school.

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Grade: 3

Attainment on entry varies considerably because there are so few pupils in each year group. That of the current Reception group was slightly below that typically expected, particularly in 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's, 10 July 2007 communication, language and literacy and knowledge and understanding of the world. Children make satisfactory progress in Reception but a significant minority of the younger children have not attained the expected learning goals by the time they start Year 1. Progress through the school is satisfactory overall. Current standards in Year 6 are below average but in relation to their prior attainment, which was below expectations, pupils have achieved satisfactorily. Standards are broadly average in other year groups and reflect satisfactory progress from their starting points in Reception. Standards in reading are good because pupils are well supported

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Grade: 3

at home and in school by volunteers who hear them read on a regular basis. Pupils with learning difficulties make satisfactory progress because they are given individual support.

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Grade: 3

Pupils have a good understanding of why they need to eat a balanced diet. They are very proud of the nutritious school lunches, which are cooked on the premises and use the vegetables grown in the school garden. They clearly explain that they need to build up their stamina through regular exercise so that they keep fit. Most pupils adopt safe practices in and around school. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Behaviour is satisfactory. Although pupils speak enthusiastically about a number of interesting activities they do in and around school, their enjoyment of school is marred by the anti-social behaviour of a very small minority of pupils. Whilst they generally feel safe at school, they do not always feel that their concerns are sufficiently acknowledged. New monitoring arrangements have started to have a good effect on improving attendance, which is now satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

Involvement in the local flower show, celebrations to mark the end of the Second World War and their contributions to the parish magazine are strong indicators of the good contribution the pupils make to their local community. However, pupils would like to contribute more within their own school by taking on more responsibility and increasing the part played by the pupil council. Whilst average key skills prepare individuals satisfactorily for the next stage of their education, pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to develop workplace skills such as problem solving and organising their own events.

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Grade: 3

Teachers know their pupils well and parents particularly praise the 'friendly' atmosphere that they create. The Reception children are taught by teachers who understand the way in which these youngsters learn. Throughout the school, activities are well planned, and this ensures that the lessons take account of the different age groups and abilities within classes. Teaching assistants and volunteer helpers are used well to help pupils with learning difficulties by supporting them with practical tasks. Whilst learning objectives are identified in lesson plans, teachers do not always make it clear to pupils exactly what they want them to learn. Teachers look at pupils' work regularly but the marking does not provide them with guidance on how they might improve their work. 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's, 10 July 2007

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Grade: 2

The well-planned curriculum engages pupils in their learning because it is meaningful and interesting. Reception children are provided with a high quality environment where activities are well planned to promote learning. Good links have been established between different subjects and these are being used to develop literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills. For example, pupils in Years 3 to 6 have written and drawn about how they spend their leisure time. Questionnaires have then been formulated and the results of these illustrated using different types of graphs produced with ICT skills. The curriculum is enriched well by stimulating visits to the seaside and local areas of interest, such as Langford Lakes and Stourhead. A good range of activities organised after school provides the pupils with opportunities to join in sport, board games, or art and ICT activities with their

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Grade: 2

friends. The good links with a local secondary school and an independent school enable the pupils to use their good quality sporting facilities.

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Grade: 3

The school takes satisfactory care of its pupils. Reception children are looked after well when they start school, and on transfer to secondary school the oldest pupils' preparation is good. Procedures to ensure that pupils are kept safe and secure, including those relating to child protection, are well established and staff are familiar with them. Good personal support and guidance are provided for pupils who have learning difficulties. The school works closely with a wide range of outside agencies to ensure pupils receive the best help possible. Academic support is sound. Teachers set targets for literacy and numeracy but not all the pupils are fully aware of these. This means that they are not always aware of what they need to do to improve their learning.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher and governors play a satisfactory role in evaluating the school's performance and are well supported in this by the local authority. The introduction of pupil tracking systems has enabled staff to follow individual progress through the school. Consequently, there is now a shared understanding of how this information can be used to target resources and plan in greater detail for each pupil. The headteacher has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the quality of teaching. Monitoring programmes to evaluate teaching have been formalised and are being used to improve the school's overall performance. Subject leadership is satisfactory but subject management is less well developed because it does not include the collection of information for future planning. Several governors play an important role by helping out in class and this enables them to have a sound knowledge about school

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Grade: 3

life. However, they are fully aware that they need to develop more rigorous systems to check the effectiveness of the school. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's, 10 July 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's, 10 July 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's, 10 July 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's, 10 July 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 July 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Mary's and St John's, Hindon, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 6EA Thank you for making me so welcome at your school and for talking to me so willingly. It was interesting joining you in your lessons and I particularly enjoyed chatting to the group of pupils from Years 4 and 5. Your school provides you with a satisfactory education and staff are working hard to make it even better. You make sound progress and reach broadly average standards. Staff know you all very well and provide you with satisfactory teaching and learning opportunities. Your teachers work well in partnership with your parents and other schools. An exciting programme of lessons is planned and these are enriched by interesting trips. I was particularly impressed to hear that a firm favourite is your visit to the Trowbridge sewage works! You have a good understanding of keeping fit and healthy. Most of you like school, behave

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

well and adopt safe practices. However, many of you feel that the anti-social behaviour of a very small minority of pupils adversely affects your enjoyment of school life. Teachers listen to you and take satisfactory care of you. The adults in charge of the school are leading and managing it satisfactorily and they are determined to give you the best education. In order to make it even better I have asked your teachers to make it clear to you what you are learning and provide clearer guidance on how you can improve your work. I have also asked the school to give you better opportunities to voice concerns and take on more responsibilities. I have suggested that the role of key staff needs to develop much more so that they can help the headteacher check how well you are all doing. I know that you will play your part in making the school a better place for learning. Best wishes Lorna Brackstone Lead Inspector

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 of 10 Inspection Report: Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Marys and St John's, 10 July 2007

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